


A Challenger Approaches

by oracleskald



Category: Norse Religion & Lore
Genre: Devotional Poetry, Podfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:54:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28572594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oracleskald/pseuds/oracleskald
Summary: A piece of devotional poetry I wrote for Loki. This one was a challenge from someone else - I had written a poem about their relationship to Loki, and they were interested in one about mine. So this is the ridiculous tale of how I became a Lokean. As with all things that are good for me, I got there by being dragged through a hedge backwards and standing up and going "I'm okay!"





	1. Chapter 1

It was snowing, the day we “met”;  
the day I threw my arms out wide and  
CHALLENGED the gods to listen to my prayers.  
The day I walked, and kicked, and  
cried and raged and wished he wasn’t hurting  
and wished he’d smile again.

So I put my middle finger to the sky -  
“to any god who’s listening” -  
and a god said “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED”  
but I never believed they’d answer  
and I never believed in you.  
The blizzard, though, the blizzard I believed in

and I heard your answer loud and clear.  
And he smiled, and I smiled when he said  
“guess Loki’s got his eye on you”.  
“Of course,” I said, still not believing  
but the blizzard kept on blowing on and  
on and on and on and on and on and on-

‘til life came to a standstill,  
and I knew you’d won round one.  
I dressed my wounds, and I believed.

It was raining, the day we “spoke”;  
the day they broke out their tarot cards,  
and you CHALLENGED me to hear you.  
The day I spread them out, not sure I believed  
in this sort of shit, but willing to try anyway -  
anything for some goddamn answers.

So I drew three cards - or one, or ten  
(I don’t remember what or how)  
and laid them out, beside the coffee that I made  
for you. Because if I was going to  
ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE I was going  
to do it right and this round would be mine.

It doesn’t work like that, I know  
but at the time gods-plural was a concept so  
unknown to me that all I could do was  
raise an eyebrow, asking “what am I supposed to do?”  
And you sighed and talked and  
talked and talked and talked and talked-

‘til night fell. And you and I,  
alone with the stars and cards  
declared a draw; excited to fight again.

It was sunny, the day we “joined”;  
the day I ate an entire jar of jelly beans  
and there was NO CHALLENGE to be made.  
The day I learned what it was to be Lokean -  
the day I said “I’m no one’s wife” and you laughed  
and said “I know”. You wanted me anyway.

So I got books, I got runes, I got lazy  
and you dragged me back with a gentle sigh.  
It was nothing I’d done before, and nothing  
I knew I wanted, but it was everything I needed  
and you knew that, and you CHALLENGED me  
to learn that lesson, and I said “bite me”.

We tried again, this time less structured;  
with faces that I knew in place of ones  
I had to learn from scratch.  
A coffee for me was a coffee for you  
and you pushed and prodded until I tried and  
tried and tried and tried and tried-

‘til I got it, at last, and called myself yours.  
There are no winners and losers but  
the thrill of what we have? “Bring it on.”


	2. Dramatic Reading

The poem in the previous chapter, read aloud by [The_Synthesist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Synthesist). [Click here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/100RJyQBzdMHCPXF2fV-zAfN1YxMZwmgy/view?usp=sharing) to listen on Google Drive.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at [historicaloracle.ca](https://www.historicaloracle.ca/post/a-challenger-approaches). Comments welcome here, or there.


End file.
